Vehicle-engine



c. H. mx.

VEHIUIQE ENGINE HEATER.

AFPLICATIDH HLED FEB* 1B, 1920.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

Lcitizen of the United States, residing CLARK, or D..vENPonT, IOWA.

`GHIESTEB. H.

PATENT OFFICE.

VEHICLE-EN' GIN E HEATER.

Application filed February 18, 1920.

To all 'whom t may (formera:

Be it known that I, CHESTER H. CLARK, a at avenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain neu1 and use ful Improvementin Vehicle-Engine Heaters, of which the llowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formin a part thereof.

The purpose o this invention is to provide a heater for a motor vehicle engine, adapted for maintaining the engines temperature at an effective degree. and automatically regulated for that purpose, by a thermostatledevice exposed to the engine temperature or some resultant temperature. so as to increase the heat 'generated by the heater When the temperature of the en gine falls below a predetermined point, and diminish the heat generated when the engine temperature rises above a predetermined point. lt consists in the elementel and features ,of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings?- Figure l is a side elevation oi' a motor vehicle engine equipped with this device` the hood heilig partly broken away Vto die` close the 4heater there-within- Fig. 2 is a vertical Section through the heater and the thermostatic 'governing eon nection which extendn into the water jacket which comprises part ot' a cooling water cir! culating system of the engine.

Fig. 3 1s a section at the line, .f3- 3, on

fh the structure shown in the drawings, the engine is represented conventionalljv at 1, 2 being the hood, 3 being the wall of the Water jacket, and 4 being the eoolinpr -wntcr space therein. .5 is the heater. (l is an inelosure for the heater which is'itself inclosed within the engiues shown may be 4understood as employing liquid fuel.- It comprises vthe liquid fuel chamber, 7, which constitutes the lower element ofthe heater, said chamber having a centrall'ylsituated neck 9, which constitutes the outer-element of a wick tube as herein after shown, the inner element of said wif-k tube being, u vertically extending tube "/ll constitutingr an air draft passage to the cotnh bastion or flame-generating ond of the wick, lo, which extends between the tubular neck. El, and the air* draft tube, 8, down into the fuel chamber. The upper end portion ofthe Specification of Letters Patent.

hood. The heater e Patented Nov. 23, 1920. serial No. 359,720.

tube, 9, is contracted in diameter to admit around it inside the wick a wick lifter which 1s a sleeve, 14. having ratrhet teeth. Il, struck out from its outer surface for engag ing the wick, such engagement occurring when the litter is drawn upwardly` causing the pointe of said teeth to be in` truded deeply7 into the wick. (in the upper end of the u'icl\-liftingr sleeve, lll. there is secured a rap plate, l5, which serves as a means ol' operating;r said* dek-lifting Sleeve, said rai plate having its marginal portion extending' over the upper end of the wick and over the upper end of the neck or outer member of the wick tube, fl. and also over an exterior sleeve, ll. which is mounted for sliding up and down on said neck, 9. 12 is a pilot light device comprising a tube, 12", connected at ils lower end into the top of the fuel chamber. i'. and tending up alongside the nei-kat al short distance therefrom` terminating a lshort diatanee below the upper end of said nei-k. .aeeomnlodatin r a pilot wick. 18. 'lhe upper end of the s eeve, lil, hereina lter termed the regulating sleeve for reasons which will ap pear, is outwardly flared so that when ad justed to bring said uiper end slip-hibr above the upper end ol' t 1e pilot wick tube, it tends to deflect outwardly the thune of the pilot wick to preveht it from causing ignition at the exposer, end of the main wick` 10. 19 is a forked lever fulerumed by its forked ends on the inclosure, (i. and extend:

ing across the same embracingr the neck and sleeves of the h latcr between the fork' arms, the stem extending out through the opposite side of the inclosure for connection within thermostatieally-aetuated operating means". The fork arms are pivotally connected at opposite sides to the regulating sleeve,`v1`3, as seen at 13'2 The inelosure, 6, has a horiantnl partitiolndl, positioned below Athe upper or flame endA of the wick tube, `iin'd :ibove the level oiithe operating lever, i19, auch partition being' aperturcd for the wick tuhe and sleeve, 13. and the pilot tube, which extend up through it into the upper el1anilier, A, of the incloaure.

,A s ring;` 23, connected at its upper end with t le partition. ll, and at the loweiend to the operating,r lever, I9. `tenda Lo vuphold the operatingr lever for poaitionipp;` the regulatiner tube at a certain priiletel'mined ill uns

.l lll height Vwith respect ,to the upper end of the viifick tubev screens, 24, reventingr any flame from being discharged rom said apertures which might ignite unconsumed combustible vapor which might exist in the hood. It will be seen that the operating lever. 19` carrying b liftingr tlie regu ating sleeve, 13, upward past the upper end of the neck or outer element of the xariektuha, 8, the exposed portion of the vloek at which the flame is produced will be masked, and that by carrying said sleeve upward to the cap plate, 1o, the entire exposed ilame area of the wick will be masked and the flame extinguished. It will be further observed that if the operating lever. 15, is lifted fartherv` carrying the sleeve, 13,- up against the cap, 15, und then farther so as to lift the cap, the cap will in turn lift the wick-lifting sleeve, 14, und draw the wick u ward. And this constitutes the 'means or compensating for the burning away of the wick from time to time. The ratchet-wise 'operation of the teeth. 'l4. it will be understood permits thc lowering of the wick-lifting tube, 14, 4without lowering the wick.

The operation of the parts described for regulating the combustion area oi' the wick and thereby re ulating the amount of heat genetated'bytliie heater, consists oi a thermostatic device com rising a tube. 19". which extends throng the wall, 3, of the coolingV water jacket into the cooling water spwce,4, o f'the enginc,vsaidtube containing a liquid substance adequately responsive. to changes' of temperature by expansion and contraction, to operate lto an adequate 'extent the piston orflo'at, 2l, which is located in the upwardly-extending portionpf said tube20, of which the lower rtion is preferably horizontal `for convenience of intrudinr 'it into the water spaceof the jacket.' Tlpize temperaturelresponsive element of the tube may be mercury, prefera blv, or glycerin or other relatively non-volatile liquid ha ving substanti llv uniform coeilicient of expansion. The oat or floating piston, 2l, is connected by a bail, 22, to the outer end of the operating lever. 19, provision being made, as by a plurality of pivot holes at 8. for connecting it y outwardlyextending arm of said operating lever, as maybe found convenient m mounting the. device in each instance. And for the at varying distances along the y adjusting the piston float or weight, 21, to uantity of temperature-responsive liquid. 20, the connecting rod, 22, 1s made in two parts oppositely threaded at their proximate ends and connected by a right and left threaded coupling, 22.

Upon considering the action of this structure it :will he understood that. the parts being originally properly adjusted for causing the wick to be unmasked when the temperature of the cooling water in the space, 4, is that resultingr from an en ine temperature lower than required for e ective operation, the main wick will be ignited by the pilot light under those conditions, and thereby the. heater will he set in operation for raising the engine temperature. And it will be understood that upon the temperature being raised to the proper point for effective operation, the regulating sleeve will be carried upward gradually masking the wick and diminishing the ame, production until the amount of heat generated is just suiiicient to maintain the proper engine temperature. Or, if the normal operation of the engine is maintaining that temperature, thewick will be com letely masked and the flame extinguishe and generation of heat from the heater will be stopped and remain sto pcd until the temperature of the engine iiills, so as to again unmask the Wick and cause the pilot light to ignite the latter.

lt will he understood that the particular form of temperature responsive element or thermostatic device may be varied from that shown without departing from the substance of the invention. and also that the particular form of the heater `may-be departed fr and an entirely diiierent heater may be s i for discharging the'p'roducts of combustion under the engine hood; mea ns for regulating the fuel consumption of said fuelbuming device; a temperature-responsive element exposed to engine temperature, and operat-` ing connections from such temperature-re-` y spousive element to said regulating means of the heater.

2. In the construction defined in claim fr. foregoing, the heater beinga li uid fuel burning device: an inclosure for said heater within which the hot products of combustion are initially received and confined, said inclosure having a iertures for the escape of said hot products into'the engine hood, and tine wire screen maskngsnid a ertures.

3. In the construction define' in claireA` .1. foregoing, `the heater' `being a liquid `fuel isc nurning device employing a wick, and the regulating means consisting of a mask for the Wick, said mask constituting heat-generating regulating means; the operating connections being adapted for sliding Said mask along the Wick at the portion thereof exposed for ignition and Home production.

4. In the construction defined in claim l. said fuel burner having a pilot light, and the regulating means comprising a shut-ofi' adapted to be interposed between the pilot light and the ignition point of the heater and adapted to be withdrawn and expose the wick to ignition from the pilot light by the movement caused by lowered temperature of the temperature-responsive element.

5. In the construction delined in claim l. the heater bein a liquid fuel burning de- Vice having a tu ular air draft passage .eupplying air to the flame, said pasrage extend ing up through the liquid fuel supplyY chamber; a housing for the heater which ini-lows the fuel chamber and the area of [laine production, seid housing having an apertlm7 registered air draft passage.

6. In the construction defined in elaiiu l. the heater being n liquid fue] burner employing u tubular u'ick and having a tubuar sleeve within the wick provided with ratchet-wiseopernting Wick-engaging pro- 'ections, adapted to i'eed the wich upward y reciprocating movement oi the sleeve; a cap plate at the upper end of Suid sleeve. carried bv the latter and whose margin overhangs the end of the wirk and forms :i stop for limiting the upward lnovemenl` of the latter: and `a sleeve mounted for sliding outside 'the wick, and dimensioned to encounter the cap pleite; .sgaid operating connections from the temporalure-respon sive element being connected with the extorior sleeve for lowering it upon full ol' temperature of the temperature element.

7. In the construction delined in claim l. the heater being a liquid fuel burner; :in inv closure for said heater having a partition ylietweel'i the lower portion of' its inclosed space containing the i'uel eliamber and the upper portion in u'hieh eombuston oeeurs: the hesiter having an air drul'l paesage extending from the bottom up through the fue] chamber and past the partition into the combustion space there-above` the inelosure having at its' bottom an aperture with which the nir passage eomniunieates l'or deriving air from outside the engine elosure. the iu-- operating eonneetions` being extended from pistonwvise operuting member to the heater regulating menne.

ln testimony whereof, l have hereunto set my hand at Cliieago` Illinois, this 13th dav of' February, .1920.

inneren H. CLARK. 

